Digitized stored voice paging receiver

• US 4,965,569 A
• Filed: 03/14/1989
• Issued: 10/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiro, Alan I., Bennett, Paul T., Tahernia, Omid, Lambrecht, Frank E., Willard, David F., Page, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US07/323,056
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.48, 340/311.5, 379/56, 379/57, 455/31
• US Class Current: 340/7.57
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1033 with voice message alert
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/105 with call or message storage means

Abstract

A paging receiver device and method are disclosed in which analog information transmitted from an external source such as a paging transmitter are received and decoded. The analog information includes at least one voice message. The voice message is recovered, digitized, and stored in one of a plurality of message slots in a memory of the paging receiver. In response to a paging user'"'"'s request, the digitized stored message is recalled from memory, reconverted from digital information to analog information, and used to produce audible voice information being a replica of the original analog voice message.

Claims

1. A method of operating a paging receiver which receives information, transmitted from an external source, including coded information having an address, followed by associated analog information having at least one analog voice message, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving the information and decoding the coded information to recover the address;

(b) selectively enabling the receiver correlating to the decoded address to recover the analog voice message from the received analog information;

(c) responding solely to the presence of the recovered analog voice message to convert said analog voice message to digital information, the digital information representative of a replica of the originally received analog voice message; and

(d) storing at least part of the digital information in a memory of the selected receiver.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of (e) generating an alert signal at the selected receiver indicating receiving the analog voice message.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the step of generating an alert signal after storing the analog voice message.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of generating an alert signal comprises generating a tactile vibratory alert.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of generating an alert signal further includes the steps of:

(f) generating an alert signal approximately when the paging receiver is selected; and

(g) providing the analog voice message to an audio transducer for generating real time audible voice information simultaneously with storing the digital voice message.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the selected paging receiver includes a first control switch;

said method further including the steps of;

(h) sensing the activation of the first control switch and generating a first electrical signal in response thereof; and

(i) in response to the first electrical signal, terminating the real time audible voice information while continuing to convert the analog information to digital information to store the digital information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the selecting paging receiver includes a second control switch, said method further including the steps of:

(j) sensing the activation of the second control switch and generating a second electrical signal in response thereof;

(k) in response to the second electrical signal, reconverting the digital information to analog information; and

(l) producing audible voice information from the analog information, the audible voice information being a replica of the original analog voice message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a plurality of digital voice messages are stored chronologically in the paging receiver, said method further including the step of

repeatedly activating the second control switch for initiating playback of a chronologically stored voice message wherein the Nth activation of the switch initiates replay of the Nth stored voice message.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the step of:

(m) activating the second control switch for returning the paging receiver to a standby condition when all of the stored messages have been replayed.

10. The method of claim 8 further including the steps of:

(n) interrupting the playback of a stored message upon receipt of new analog information intended for the receiver;

(o) recovering a new analog voice message from said new analog information;

(p) converting the new analog voice message to new digital voice information; and

(q) storing the new digital voice information in the memory.

11. A digitized voice paging device comprising:

means for receiving information, transmitted from an external source, the information including coded information having an address, and associated analog information having at least one analog voice message;

means for decoding the coded information to recover the address to determine whether the associated analog information is intended for the paging device;

means governed by the decoding means to recover the analog voice message from the received analog information;

means governed solely by said decoding means and the presence of the recovered analog voice message to convert said analog voice message to a digital voice message which is representative of a replica of the originally received analog voice message;

memory means for storing at least part of the digital voice message.

12. The paging device of claim 11 including an alerting means for generating an alert signifying receipt of information after storing the digital voice message.

13. The paging device of claim 11 wherein said memory means is operably coupled to said converting means for providing a digital stored voice message to said converting means, wherein said converting means is operative to reconvert the digital voice message into audible information representative of the originally received analog voice message.

14. The paging device of claim 11 further comprising means for operating the decoding means in one of a plurality of operating modes.

15. The paging device of claim 14 wherein one of the operating modes includes mode which requires the activation of a control switch to audibilize the analog voice message while simultaneously storing the digitized voice message.

16. The paging device of claim 14 wherein one of the operating modes includes a mode which automatically audiblizes the analog voice message while simultaneously storing the digitized voice message.

17. The paging device of claim 14 wherein one of the operating modes stores the digitized voice message and then generates an alert to notify the user of the receipt of the message.

18. The paging receiver of claim 11 further including:

control means, coupled to said decoding means, for sensing activation of a control switch, said control means generating an electrical signal in response to activation of the control switch;

wherein said decoding means, in response to the electrical signal, recalls the digital message from memory so that said conversion means, being coupled to said decoding means, reconverts the digital message to an analog signal being a replica of the original analog message, and further wherein said transducer means, being coupled to said conversion means, converts the analog signal to an audible signal.

19. The paging receiver of claim 11 further including a means for generating an indication upon memory means being full.

20. The paging receiver of claim 11 further including a means for counting the number of messages received.

21. The paging receiver of claim 11 further including a means for preventing said transducer from generating the audible output signal from the analog message during receipt of the analog message.

22. The paging receiver of claim 21 further including a means for counting the number of analog messages in which the audible output signal is not generated.

23. The paging receiver of claim 21 further including a means for generating an indication when the audible output signal is not generated.